Release date: May 1, 2010
Termination date: May 1, 2012

Available credit: 1.50

The estimated time to complete this activity is 1.50 hours.
1. View the audio/video slideshow.
2. Answer the slideshow questions.
3. Complete the patient case(s) and/or scenario(s).
4. Complete a post-activity evaluation.

Thromboembolism is an enormous problem across the spectrum of medicine. In the US and Europe over 600,000 people will suffer a venous thromboembolism, and nearly 20% will die as a result. The incidence of arterial and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is highly age dependent, contributing significant morbidity and mortality to an aging population.

Oral vitamin K antagonists (warfarin) are effective prophylactic agents in preventing recurrent thrombosis, but have a narrow therapeutic window. Their use in the elderly has been associated with an increased risk of bleeding complications, but with proper monitoring can be given safely to patients greater than 80 years and result in overall decreased morbidilty and mortality.

This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians; Pharmacists; Nurses; and other healthcare professionals.

This activity has received no commercial support.

This activity is offered online and requires a connection to the Internet. The activity works on a PC or Macintosh computer with the browsers Internet Explorer 7.0 and up, Firefox 2.0, AOL 9.x and up, and Safari 2.x and up. JavaScript should be enabled in all browsers, and Popups and first party cookies need to be accepted from http://onlinecme.scancme.com.

This program requires that you have the latest free Flash Player.

• Determine which medical and surgical patients are at high risk of venous thrombosis and are appropriate candidates for anti-thrombotic prophylaxis.
• Select appropriate antithrombotic prophylaxis.
• Select appropriate initial antithrombotic treatment for patient with objectively documented venous thromboembolism.
• Demonstrate ability to monitor and manage patients receiving warfarin secondary antithrombotic prophylaxis.

Physicians: SCAN Health Plan® is accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality/California Medical Association (IMQ/CMA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. SCAN Health Plan takes responsibility for the content, quality and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

SCAN Health Plan designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.50 SCAN Health Plan AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This credit may also be applied to the CMA Certification in Continuing Medical Education.

Nurses: SCAN Health Plan is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (Provider #CEP-13453). This activity has been approved for up to 1.50 contact hour(s).

Pharmacy: SCAN Health Plan (Provider #199) is accredited by the California Accreditation of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) as a recognized provider of continuing pharmacy education. Pharmacists completing this course prior to 5/1/2012 may receive up to 1.50 hour(s) of credit.

AB 1820: This bill requires sufficient course work in the field of geriatrics for medical students and physicians to ensure that every general internist and family physician has the requisite knowledge and skills to competently treat California’s older population by the year 2010.

General internists and family physicians who have 25% or more of their patients 65 years of age or older are required to complete at least 20% (five hours per year) of their mandatory Category I CME in the field of geriatrics. All other physicians are encouraged to take courses in geriatrics including geriatric pharmacology.

As a provider accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality/California Medical Association, and in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for Commercial Support: Standards to Ensure Independence in CME Activities, it is the policy of SCAN Health Plan to ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all of its continuing medical education (CME) activities. SCAN Health Plan requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of a CME activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest.

This information is utilized to:
1) determine if a conflict exists,
2) resolve the conflict by initiating a content validation process, and
3) advise learners of this information.

Any individual who refuses to (or chooses not to) disclose relevant financial relationships will be disqualified from participating as an instructor, planner or manager and cannot have control of or responsibility for the development, management, presentation or evaluation of a CME activity certified by SCAN Health Plan. Disclosures received by SCAN Health Plan from individuals in a position to control CME content are made transparent to learners prior to participating in the activity.

SCAN Health Plan discloses the following information to learners:
1) the name of the individual,
2) the name of the commercial interest(s), and
3) the nature of the relationship the individual has with the commercial interest.

SCAN Health Plan also discloses to learners the name(s) of commercial interests supporting each CME activity.

Planners
The following planners had no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.
Russell Brower, MD, Medical Director, SCAN Health Plan
Jodi Cohn, PhD, Director, Research, SCAN Health Plan
Renee Toti McNally, CME Coordinator, SCAN Health Plan

The following planners have disclosed a relevant financial relationship.
Dan Osterweil, MD is on the speakers’ bureau for Novartis and has received grant/research support from Merck and UCLA. He is a consultant for Novartis and SCAN Health Plan.

Faculty
The following faculty has disclosed a relevant financial relationship.
Howard A. Liebman, M.D., has received grant/research support from Sanofi Aventis. He is a consultant for Sanofi Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Eisai and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Howard A. Liebman, M.D. - View Bio
Associate Professor of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California